Born and raised in Northern Michigan, Vernon returned to the Traverse City area after 15 years of academic and industry R&D experience, including 3 years at Imperial College London. His deep connection to Northern Michigan drives his commitment to the region’s rapidly growing innovation ecosystem.

Vernon’s journey over the past decade has been both humbling and enriching. With diverse experiences in bioanalytical research, immunology, cell biology, analytical chemistry, photonics, pharmaceutical formulation, materials science, and bioengineering, He’s been fortunate to explore the intricate ways in which analytical technologies can be applied to understand the fundamental components of biomedical, botanical, and environmental samples.

At the heart of his work is a passion for leveraging scientific and engineering principles to forge advancements in bio- and nanotechnology. These advancements hold the key to enhancing human health, promoting well-being, and fostering a sustainable relationship with our environment.

That’s why Vernon founded Wave Lumina in 2023, right here in Traverse City, on a mission to support the protection and remediation of Earth’s precious water resources.

Wave Lumina is an early-stage Traverse City, MI based environmental chemical detection company creating field-ready solutions for onsite water quality assessment, currently focused on PFAS ‘forever chemicals.’ Unlike existing costly laboratory-based testing methods that take weeks to deliver results, our product offers rapid, affordable, onsite detection of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’.